Free Silverstone Part One: Through Dark Waters by J.J. Moody

damp and scary place he had come from.
It would have been easy for him to stay there, forgetting his
worries and never becoming wisecrinkled.
    A few days later the camp
celebrated Eva’s 13 th birthday. There was more vol than Ben could ever
have imagined, wheeled out in enormous wooden casks cut from tree
trunks, and Appleby must have slaughtered half his digboks for the
stew, which was cooked in an enormous, battered tin cauldron
belonging to Alder.
    Even the wilderness herdsmen
who only brought their animals down from the high hillsides to the
west and to the south of the lake for special occasions attended,
and Appleby and Eva were honoured.
    As the eating of the gigantic
stew concluded, some of the group began singing songs and playing
instruments, and many began to dance merrily, vol mugs in hand. Ben
remained on the sidelines with some of the warriors, happy to watch
quietly.
    One of the men from the
hillsides outside the camp came and sat beside Ben, bringing a
large mug of vol for him. “So, Silverstone is what they call
you?”
    “Yes that’s right, pleased to
meet you,” Ben answered uneasily. He wasn’t sure what it was about
the man that was making his chest begin to ache. He was darkly
skinned, but his eyes were bright grey. His clothes seemed a little
richer than the other farmers.
    “I am Geven.” The man gave a
smirk that made Ben look away. “Alder says you are visiting from
the lands of Elmer. What news does he send of the struggles of the
mages? And please, remind me how the great fountain of Queen
Lorelane looks, it has been years since I last saw it.”
    Ben was almost certain Geven
did not believe Alder’s story about where he’d come from. He
considered his reply carefully. “Well, the mages struggle quietly
in the shadows as they always do, until one has the upper hand. As
for the fountain, I cannot find the words to describe it.” He
smiled as best he could, unable to hold Geven’s gaze for more than
an instant.
    At that moment, the music
paused, and Ben looked up to see a circle had formed, in the centre
of which stood Liam, holding Eva’s hand. She grinned widely.
    “ As is custom at the
13 th birthday of a young lady of the camp, a man of standing
should perform the dance of Alin and Ria with her.” Liam
said.
    The crowd cheered their
approval.
    “I claim this dance, unless
there is anyone who wishes to challenge me for it?”
    The people glanced at one
another, joking and laughing.
    Ben blushed and stared at the
ground.
    “She is beautiful, isn’t she
Silverstone,” Geven whispered. “The dance is a great honour. But I
think she looks toward you my friend. Perhaps she would prefer your
hand to Liam’s, if you would challenge him?”
    Ben looked up. Eva must have
turned away again. She seemed happy. He felt his chest again. A
panic began to rise, as the moment seemed to hang in front of him.
Something was calling him to stand up; to seize the dance with
Eva.
    But he was also terrified of
what might happen next. He didn’t even know the dance of Alin and
Ria, and would probably fall flat on his face, humiliating himself.
He also had no idea what the challenge for it would consist of –
for all he knew he might very well find himself in a duel to the
death with Liam. Besides, he thought as he stole another look
towards Eva, it looked like she was fine without him. No, he had
made up his mind. He would stay where he was.
    “Shame,” Geven muttered, seeing
Ben had made up his mind. “They say the dance often leads to
love.”
    “I don’t want to dance, OK?”
Ben said irritably, and a little louder than he had intended, so
that some of the farmers nearby turned towards him. He blushed
again and lowered his head. This was terrible.
    Geven grinned.
    The music began, and the crowd
cheered as Liam spun Eva into the dance. The farmspeople laughed
and clapped along, and some other couples joined Liam and Eva.
    Ben looked down at his feet,
feeling awful. For the first time since